1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an asynchronous transfer mode switching arrangement providing broadcast transmission.
2. Description of Related Art
In the field of broad band telecommunications networks a requirement has arisen for a switching system that can also handle broadcast TV transmissions.
A switching system based on asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switching techniques can provide broadcast TV services which are currently in demand by customers.
Such an ATM switching arrangement is described in co-pending U.K. Patent Application No. 8917530.1, which is incorporated herein by reference thereto. The switching arrangement uses routing tags, one for each stage that indicates from which port in the stage the cell is to be transmitted from. The tags are suitable for point to point connections but not for fanouts. In order to provide a broadcast service for TV channels it would be necessary to provide fanouts from such a switching arrangement.